It was a day of firsts to start the second ISU Four Continents Champions in Calgary on Wednesday. Yekaterina Aidova (KAZ) won her first international title in the 500m, while Huang Yu-Ting (TPE) and Victoria Rodriguez (ARG) seized the first international silverware for their countries in the history of speed skating. In the 3000m, Jamie Jurak (USA) also took a personal first international title, and the USA concluded the women’s competition with gold in the Team Sprint event.
Competition is the best training
Aidova was the only woman who managed to break the 38-second barrier in the 500m on Wednesday, clocking 37.89s.
The 30-year-old sprinter from Kazakhstan was happy to extend her stay in Canada after a successful World Cup campaign.
Yekaterina Aidova (KAZ, centre) © International Skating Union (ISU)
“Now that I’m qualified for the Olympic Games, I love to compete here. It’s the fastest ice in the world.
“I set two national records in Salt Lake City (at the World Cup two weeks ago) and I tried to do it again here. I did not manage, but I’m really happy with my results, and the medal as well of course.
‘It’s an important medal, but I would have like to see more strong international rivals here. That would be good for the competition.”
Aidova herself did not think about skipping the Four Continents Tournament in preparation for the Olympic Games.
“Of course I’m tired (after the long World Cup campaign), but competition is the best training,” she said.
First off for Argentina and Chinese Taipei
Behind Aidova, Huang Yu-Ting (TPE) and Victoria Rodriguez (ARG) took silver and bronze in 38.06s and 38.53s respectively.
Huang was happy to be able to be in the mix for the medals at the Four Continents Championships.
“I’m really excited about that, because I can only win a medal in the B Division in the World Cup. This medal means a lot to me,” she said.
The 33-year-old former short track and inline skater trains with coach Mitch Whitmore (USA) in Salt Lake City as part of the ISU Development Transition Program.
“We don't have any long-track speed-skating rinks in Chinese Taipei, only short track,” she explains.
Having done short track in the past, the transition from inline to ice was not as difficult for Huang, as it had been for Rodriguez, who has been on the same program since 2017.
Living the dream
The 30-year-old from Argentina literally lived the dream when she took her first international silverware in Calgary. She turned from inline to ice skating in 2016.
“It was a dream. When I was asleep, I dreamed I was an ice skater, and a week later I had the same dream, so I started thinking about it,” she explained.
“I searched on Google for ice skating in Argentina. Then I found a federation and contacted them. They told me that they had a program in Salt Lake City, and that's how I started.”
“I did inline skating before. This was in 2016 and in 2017 I went to Salt Lake City for the first time. I gave up inline skating in 2016. That was the last time I trained professionally for inline.
With no speed-skating rinks in Argentina, Rodriguez depends on the Salt Lake City hub to practise her sport.
“It’s hard financially,” she explains. “Last year, I was stuck in Argentina, I didn't skate for a year. I did not even do inline and was quarantined to my house mostly.
“When I came back this year, I was very out of shape. Skating in the first four World Cup events this season got her back into medal winning form at the Four Continent Championships.
“This (bronze medal) is very important for me and for my family, because they helped me a lot. And I'm very proud,” she concluded.
Jurak blows away the field
Jamie Jurak (USA) won the women’s 3000m convincingly. The 30-year-old from Newington, Connecticut, finished in four minutes and 15.46 seconds.
Laura Hall (CAN) came second in 4:20.68, and Park Chaewon (KOR) took bronze in 4:20.73.
Jamie Jurak (USA) © International Skating Union (ISU)
Like Huang and Rodriguez, Jurak came into speed skating via a different sport.
“I figure skated for 15-16 years, then I had two ankle surgeries and I couldn't jump anymore,” she said.
“So I switched to short track and I really liked going fast. I progressed really quickly with that, and then decided that it (short track) was a little crazy and decided to try long track.”
This season, Jurak had her first World Cup experience in long track, and after having won her first international medal at the Four Continents tournament, she’s aiming for a ticket to the Beijing Olympic Games at the US trials in January.
USA wins Team Sprint
Wednesday’s action concluded with the Team Sprint event. USA (McKenzie Browne, Chrysta Rands and Sarah Warren) took gold in one minute and 30.46 seconds. South Korea (Kim Min Ji, Lee Nahyun and Park Chae Eun) got silver in 1:32.12 and Canada (Kali Christ, Lindsey Kent and Carolina Hiller) bronze in 1:46.26.
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About the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships
As of season 2019/20 the Four Continents Championships are organized annually. The format for the Championships shall be decided by the ISU Council. The order of races and competitions for each day will be decided by the ISU in consultation with the organizer and the ISU Speed Skating Technical Committee. The format of the 2021/22 ISU World Four Continents Speed Skating Championships will have a Single Distance format.
